Lone female qualifier and former runner-up Taylor Riedner earned seventh place in an effort she was proud of in light of the “great field of players this year” and the fact that it was only her “second time out (golfing) for the year,” with the first having been last weekend’s qualifying round.
“The fact that I got as far as I did, I can’t be upset with that,” she said.
Other than Wagner, newcomers to the field included sixth-place finisher Jared Kuhn and fourth-place honoree Andrew Grizzell, who was eliminated by the barest of margins on a sudden-death tiebreaking chip-off against Nelson.
A third generation?
Kyle Nelson’s son Riley Nelson came away with third place in the event for a second consecutive year after miscuing a shot when he, his father and Wagner contested a three-way chip-off on the penultimate hole.
“I struggled on the short game,” Riley Nelson said. “It was a lot of fun. Lots of good golfers out here; some of them got eliminated early, and it took a little bit of pressure off.”
Prominent among the tournament’s spectators was young Connor Nelson — son of Riley and grandson of Kyle — who amused himself with golf balls while riding along in his mother’s cart and stepped forward to practice his own swing on a nearby hole after competition had concluded.
Could this foreshadow the Nelsons’ third generation in contention on the Elks Club greens?
“This kid loves golf,” Riley Nelson said. “I think he’ll probably join the juniors at some point, and as long as he plays good, he might be out here.”
Final results
1. Michael Wagner; 2. Kyle Nelson; 3. Riley Nelson; 4. Andrew Grizzell; 5. Jerry Curtis; 6. Jared Kuhn; 7. Taylor Riedner; 8. Ben Mack; 9. Sean Dorigo; 10. Kevin Peterson.
Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.